The Kumars At No. 42 is set to return to our screens this autumn, with Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal reprising their roles in a downsized flat in Hounslow as the recession takes its toll on the family.

The Kumars are set to return on Sky1 after a six-year hiatus (Picture: BBC)

The Kumars At No. 42b, as it will be called, will see the family living in a small flat instead of the original bigger property they had in the original BBC series.

Sanjeev, his mother Madhuri, father Ashwin and Grandma Sushila (referred to as Ummi in the series) are set to return as Sky1 picks up the Hatrick production for another series.

Having fallen on hard times during the recession, the Kumars have moved from Wembley to Hounslow, where they live in a small flat behind a gift shop run by Ashwin.

And other things will have changed in the six years since the show was last aired. Perennially unlucky in love Sanjeev has been married, divorced and now shares custody of his eight-year-old daughter with his ex-wife.

The Kumars At No.42 was a ratings success when it first aired on BBC2 and won an International Emmy in 2002.

Talking about the new series, Bhaskar, who is married in real life to Meera Syal, who plays his grandmother on the show, said he was excited to reprise his role.

‘It’s incredibly exciting to revisit these warm, oddball characters and to be given the opportunity to bring them up to date,’ he said.’We’ve tried to retain what viewers loved about the original show and to inject new characters and elements in a slightly new format that we hope will appeal to an even broader audience.’